Benefits July 22, 2005
Merrill Lynch Ordered to Rehire Sexual Discrimination Victim
July 22, 2005 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - An arbitration
panel has ruled that Merrill Lynch & Co. must rehire
Hydie Sumner, who won a gender discrimination suit against it
in 2004, and pay her $303,000 in lost wages, Reuters
reports.
Reported by Rebecca Moore
Merrill Lynch is considering an appeal of the ruling, but said in a statement that the company has decided to pay the $303,000 and settle the pay dispute.
According to Reuters, Sumner claimed she had been subjected to repeated sexual harassment from men in the company’s San Antonio office, and was discriminated against with respect to promotion and salary. In April 2004, Sumner was awarded $2.2 million.
Merrill Lynch called the offensive behavior inexcusable and said, “That chapter does not reflect today’s Merrill Lynch,” according to Reuters.